New Delhi:
Nasty, abusive, fiery, these are the words comes to anybody’s mind when you type the words ‘fast’ and ‘bowler’ next to each other. Some even label them as ‘dumb’, or people with short fuses. The tribe is often ignored when it comes to Captaincy, and a batters is always chosen for the job as they are perceived to be calmer, more intelligent.
A more logical explanation about why fast bowlers are usually not made captains is , they already have so much on their plate physically. This adds a lot of responsibility on their shoulders as they have to rotate the fielders , chose the roller, addressing the media before or after a win or loss etc , becomes a needless distraction.
New Trend of Pacer Captains
Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, Test Captains of India and Australia respectively, have bucked that trend. They do not abuse or sledge batters while bowling. They also give the impression of being deeply cerebral and they look forward to Challenges of leadership.
“I love responsibility, I wanted to the tough job since I was a Child ,” Bumrah, who also led India in a Test at Edgbaston against England when skipper Rohit Sharma tested positive for Covid-19, said while addressing the media. “You always want to be in the thick of things, you want to be thrown against tough scenarios, and this is another one that adds a new Challenge to me. ” Cummins took over from Tim Paine following a sexting scandal in the 2021-2022 Ashes series and is more experienced, having led Australia in 28 Tests.
Reminded that it is only the third instance of two premier fast bowlers captaining their respective countries after Wasim Akram (Pakistan) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies) did it in 1997 and Cummins and Tim Southee (NZ) did it last Summer, Cummins said , “I don’t think it really changes too much again , but it’s one of those rare things. Looking forward to seeing, hopefully from the Changeroom, how he (Bumrah) goes abut his work out there. But as a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see,” he added and revealed that it took him about 10 Tests to find his footing in the dual role as pacer and captain.
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Bumrah reciprocated Cummins’ sentiment. “I obviously have been a fan of bowlers and fast bowling, which is why I chose to be a bowler,” Bumrah Said. “I feel that physically it’s a lot more draining to bowl, but tactically bowlers are quite smart as well.
